We decided to go see Cuba before the Americans came in and lined it with Starbucks. I expected to find fading mansions and palm trees and sweet senoritas swishing down the avenidas in short skirts with a sassy sway.

I have always been intrigued by books set in India, particularly around the time of the Raj, and I could certainly identify with the Britishers that fled the oppressive heat of the south and headed for cooler climes in the foothills of the Himalayas.

In the two months I had given myself to explore India I thought I would follow in the footsteps of Monisha Rajesh, a young British journalist of Indian descent who had written a highly entertaining book: Around India in 80 Trains.

I was looking forward to Miami but I arrived on the coldest 19 November ever recorded. Two days earlier it had been the hottest 17 November ever recorded, but now the skies were grey and a sharp and the sea was jade-green and streaked with white.

Thanks to the modern day ‘Rail Europe tourist pass’, pocketing an ‘open’ ticket has never been easier. It’s not the first time I’ve done it – and it won’t be the last, but in Germany in particular, the über-efficient Deutshe Bahn service is a very cool way of getting about.